Crime and Poverty

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Crime and Poverty When people look at others who are less fortunate then themselves they see people who live in poverty. What is the meaning of poverty? According to Lauer and Lauer (2008) “Poverty is a state in which income is insufficient to provide the basic necessities of food, shelter, clothing, and medical care” (p. 159). When people who see and hear about crime they think of people who are living in poverty; as many people who are involved in criminal acts are living either in poverty or just above the poverty line. What is the meaning of crime? According to Lauer and Lauer (2008) “Technically crime is any violation of the criminal law. Therefore the acts defined by law as crime vary over time” (p. 121). People do not want to live in poverty, but when they are born into it , it is hard for the people to overcome poverty. Stacey Vogel (2008) wrote an article for the Janesville Gazette about poverty and crime, Vogel interviewed several people who had been in and out of the criminal justice system because of their history of poverty. One such interview was with a young lady of 18. According to Vogel (2008) this is the story of Stacey Williams, Stacey Williams didn't think she had a choice when she turned to a life of crime. She grew up in poverty, and her mom abandoned her when she was 15, she said. She dropped out of school in eighth grade. She started dating a 36-year-old man and living like him and his friends. She got involved in drugs, fights and shady dealings. "I was like, 'Oh, that's the people I want to be like because I just saw they had nice cars and stuff," she said. But that life led Stacey into trouble. She spent her 17th birthday in jail on charges that included driving a stolen vehicle and possession of marijuana (¶ 1-5). When people read a story such as Stacey’s they believe if a person lives in poverty, the person is automatically a

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